Removing a stuck filter from a lens

raid · 03-28-2006

This must have been discussed many time before; what is a good way to remove a filter from a lens when it seems to be stuck firmly on the lens? I don't want to harm the lens. Thanks for your suggested methods.

VictorM. · 03-28-2006

Press it down on a rubber mouse pad or use at least three fingers spread out evenly to remove the filter. If you try to squeeze the filter with a tool or a thumb and one finger, you will distort the filter and bind the threads together tighter.

back alley · 03-28-2006

a filter wrench can work also, if the above doesn't.

Stu W · 03-28-2006

Put the filter face down on a couple of ice cubes.

peterc · 03-28-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by raid amin

I don't want to harm the lens.

I usually press the filter against the sole of my running shoe and turn the lens. Hasn't failed yet ... or hurt the filter.

Peter

peter_n · 03-28-2006

I stretch a thick(ish) rubber band around the filter, then circle it with my thumb and forefinger, ensuring that grip is applied around most of the circumference of the filter. It really works for me.

raid · 03-28-2006

Thanks for the tips. I will try them out and will let you know. I have a Canon 50/1.8 lens with a Walz filter stuck on it.

Dingo · 03-28-2006

I have come across with this problem once. I finally found a simple way to remove the filter.
Put the lens in a relatively cold place (not in a fridge !) for some time and then use your own 'warm hand' grabing the filter for a while, it should be removed a little easier.

FrankS · 03-28-2006

I press a rubber mat against the front and rotate the mat and camera in opposit directions.

or sometimes holding the edge of the filter at just one point between thumb and forefinger works.

The problem with the "normal' way of unsrewing a filter is that the pressure of the thumb and forefinger on opposit sides of the filter diameter causes the filter to warp or deform, and only causes binding and no filter removal happiness.

jlw · 03-28-2006

If a rubber band isn't grippy enough, go to a good hardware store and try to find some of the soft rubber tape used for packing below-ground electrical connections. This is different from regular "electrical tape" -- it's made of very soft rubber and has a red liner covering the adhesive that has to be peeled off. The adhesive is only slightly tacky and leaves no residue.

Wrapping this stuff around almost anything gives you the grip of King Kong. Wrap the outer rim of the filter with it, then encircle the entire rim with your thumb and forefinger (as others have said, squeezing at just two points distorts the filter and makes it harder to remove.) Now twist; if the filter is going to come off at all, this should get it.

In case none of the methods described here work, you usually can destructively remove a filter by extracting the glass (usually held by a split ring inside the rim) then gripping the empty metal rim with needle-nose pliers and bending it. Just wrap it around the pliers like the sealing band on a sardine can wraps around the opening key. When you've wrapped enough, remove the remains. This will destroy the filter rim, but if nothing else works (which might be the case, if the filter has been jammed by impact) it may be the only way to remove it. With luck, you'll be able to save the glass and re-mount it in another rim.

VinceC · 03-29-2006

Pliers work, while protecting the lens with a rubber band or cloth.

I once had a cheap filter stuck on a lens. Stuck good. Nothing worked. So I carefully broke the glass (it wasn't so cheap as to be plastic) and used pliers to carefully bend the filter ring off the lens barrel ... it bent fairly easily without the glass in place.

bob cole · 03-29-2006

I have a different method to remove stuck filters. I have a round rubber pad that I bought in a hardware store. You hold the rubber pad in your right hand and wrap it around the filter and twist the filter counter-clockwise while holding the lens firmly in your left hand...I paid 25 cents (usd) for the rubber pad and, later, got one free from a local bank [you can also use the pad to unscrew jar tops]...regards, bob

kbg32 · 03-29-2006

A wide rubber band works in a pinch as well. Wrap it around the filter and twist.

JohnL · 03-29-2006

Chamois leather also grips well

Scarpia · 03-29-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob cole

I have a different method to remove stuck filters. I have a round rubber pad that I bought in a hardware store. You hold the rubber pad in your right hand and wrap it around the filter and twist the filter counter-clockwise while holding the lens firmly in your left hand...I paid 25 cents (usd) for the rubber pad and, later, got one free from a local bank [you can also use the pad to unscrew jar tops]...regards, bob

Bob is talking about a rubber jar opener. My local bank was giving them out as well and I find it is superior to the rubber band method which I previously used. I also have a single 39mm to 42 mm lens adapter which screws on to the back of the lens and can be very hard to remove. The jar opener makes it fairly easy to do. It is necessary to press down but not too hard and unscrew at the same time.
Kurt M.

raid · 04-01-2006

The filter was finally removed by firmly pressing the lens against a rubbery cloth and then squeezing the filter to rotate open, and it did. Thanks for the useful tips. It is always good to have access to such a great website and people! Herzlichen Dank.

Andy K · 04-01-2006

Another option, if this happens again, is rubber kitchen gloves.

jj_90 · 02-01-2008

Sorry to drag an old thread up, but I just had to register and thank you all for the suggestions. I've had a couple of filters stuck for months now and they wouldn't come off with any amount of pressure or technique. Finally deciding to Google the subject, this thread was the first that I checked. Sure enough, one filter came off with my wearing a single rubber kitchen glove - while the other more stubborn filter took
a cube of ice and the rubber glove. Couldn't have been easier! Thanks again

Brian Sweeney · 02-02-2008

I picked up a beautiful Nikkor 35mm F2 lens "dirt cheap" on Ebay because the filter had a "ding" in it and would not come off. The lens was perfect. These tips can be money savers.

raid · 02-03-2008

I will look for such lenses, Brian.

mihkel-m · 04-08-2009

Sorry for bumping this thread, but here's how I got my CPL off of my 50/1.8. I just used the same USB cable I use to connect my camera to my computer. Wrapped it around the filter and it came right off. Pressing it against a rubber surface wouldn't help, since CPL's front side rotates.